BJP sensed defeat: Raut on Andheri bypoll pullout

The Bharatiya Janata Party pulled out its nominee from the Andheri-east assembly bypoll fray realising that he would lose against the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, party MP Sanjay Raut said on Monday.

Raut, an accused in the Patra chawl redevelopment case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, spoke to some reporters and his supporters on the premises of the special court.

The Shiv Sena MP was produced before special judge M G Deshpande on the expiry of his judicial custody which was extended till Tuesday.

After attending his bail hearing, Raut met with his supporters and family members on the court premises.

Initially, he was reluctant to talk to reporters saying he was not allowed to speak as he is in judicial custody.

"The BJP had conducted a survey which predicted that their candidate (Murji Patel) would lose the bypoll by at least 45,000 votes. This is the reason they decided to withdraw," claimed Raut when asked about the BJP's decision.

Queried on Maharashtra Navirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray writing a letter to Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday asking him not to field the candidate, Raut replied “this is all scripted.”

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said his party has decided not to contest the Andheri East bypoll.

“The BJP had previously also not contested some of the bypolls,” he said while asserting that Murji Patel would have won.

Patel, who withdrew his nomination papers on Monday, was pitted against Rutuja Latke, the wife of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke whose death in May this year necessitated the bypoll, scheduled on November 3.